Millenial Media: Android Continues Lead in Mobile Gaming

Millennial Media released their 2013 Mobile Mix report, with more positive signs towards Google’s Android platform and Android Advertising. The report shows in Q3 of 2012, Google’s Android operating system (OS) rounded up 64 percent of all game impressions using Millennial Media, over twice the amount of what Apple has for its iOS platform. iOS was the second largest operating system for mobile game applications, gathering up a total of 30 percent of impressions.

Mobile Gaming ranked number one in the Top 10 Mobile Application Categories for ad impressions, followed by Music & Entertainment and Communications. Despite BlackBerry falling behind and generating only 5 percent of impressions, it still has the edge over Windows, which topped out at a scant 1 percent of overall gaming ad impressions.

A Game for Everyone

Data from eMarketer suggests that in 2012, there were 102 million mobile gamers in the US, which would equal to about 42 percent of total mobile phone users. With more and more users, mobile gaming is taking on amazing heights in such a short amount of time, and is expected to grow beyond and reach more than 140 million gamers, which would equal to over 50 percent of mobile phone users in 2014.

The Games category contains a unique blend of gaming applications for all types of gamers, at any difficulty. The report shows that Arcade games, described as those that lead a character through a series of levels, is the most popular genre with gamers, trailed closely behind by Word games and Puzzle games. Some games have two categories, such as Words with Friends, by Zynga, which falls under Word and Social categories, for its aspect that allows users to find opponents through social media.

Not to much surprise, smartphones account for a massive 74 percent of Q3 gaming impressions, in its shadow are Non-Phone Connected Devices, tablets and e-readers scaling at 23 percent, and Feature Phones nearly flatline at 3 percent.

Types of Gamers

The Mobile Mix report mentions that a diverse group of audiences have engaged with ads on their platform, and have been categorized into several groups. The groups that were most likely to play games are said to be Movie Buffs, Mobile Switchers, and Insurance Shoppers. Parents were also listed as the top, who often downloaded games and allowed their younger ones to play on their phones. Business Travelers aren’t as likely to participate in gaming as Parents or Movie Buffs, but they still get categorized because, respectively, their smartphone is their home entertainment on the go.

Final Thought

Mobile games are often played while doing other things, like waiting in line at a store, passing time on break, or a long flight from Los Angeles to New York. No wonder why mobile gaming becoming so popular; from the looks of the report and the charts, it is gaining ground in many aspects, and threatens the console system with more on-the-go capabilities. With impressive new technology coming out this year to make it easier to pick up and play, we can expect these numbers to surge in next year’s report. Who do you think will be the next mobile gaming leader?